Improvement in rotating shot and shells



J. B. HYDE. Projectila,

No. 23,468. Pategted Apr. 5, 1859.

UNITED, STATES PATENT 'Ornncn J. B. I-IYDE, OF NEWARK, NElV JERSEY.

IMPROVEMENT m. ROTATING SHOT AND SHELLS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent XOI'JZIAGS dated April 5,1859.

the city of Newark, county'of Essex, and State of New J eresey, haveinvented a new and use;

and whicltspring outas the shot lca-vesthe ful mode for rotating oblongshot and shells while in their flight from the gun, and of which Iherebydeclare the following to be a.

' venience of charging the shot in the laboratory f nil-description.

Many plans, have been devised to induce the rotation bf shot or shell toobtain more =accu-- rate range in firing. In some cases the gun has beenrifled with screw-like grooves, the shot having a smooth-surface, andothers the shot has been provided with projecting lines on the sidesfitting the grooves of the gun. 'In,

many cases shot have beenused with wings or feathers on the sides, orwith'a' terminalat the rear end like a fish-tail,with a slighttwist.Other shot have been provided with curved projecting; pieces to fitintorccessesin the shot,

gun. All these appendages are made more or less ware-like orscrew-shaped to induce rotation by atmospheric resistance thereto, andall of which are constructed to be fired from smooth-bored guns. Smoothshot have'been also fired from smooth guns with an elliptical bore,which has a twisted or sli ghtl y screw-like turn as the bore extendsinto the gun. This is'intended to produce rotation of the shot by itsimpinging along the minor axis of the bore.

' All the before-recited plans have failed for The grooving of practicaluse and benefit. large guns for smooth shot, 'or for shot withproject-ions fitting the grooves, and-the twisted elliptical bore withsmooth shot have all been attended with so many difficulties 'as to beper inanently abandoned by all officers who have given them the mostthorough trials, while the plans of causing rotation tothe shot by theimpingement of the air against projecting parts thereof presents theaxiom that just in pro: portion to the area so exposed must the rangeot'tli/e shot be diminished. Several plans have also. been devised forcausing the rotation of smoothsurface shot from smooth-bored guns bycharging cells made in lhc rear part of the shot with rocketcomposition.

erally is intended to cause'the rotation of the I The gas from thecombustion of such mixture escaping.lat-,-

have been encountered which.l 'r.rve rendered them for all usefulpurposes impractical, as, first, in the charging of the composition to aproper and uniform density; second, int-he liability of the compositiontobreak up and explode from theshock of the projecting charge ofthe'gun; third, in the necessity and inconprojectile,

or before going into action; fourth, in the 1iability of the compositionto undergo a change in its burning time from slow to quick conlbustion,as isoften the case with war-rockets when kept packed away for sometimethe atmosphere at its natural pressure, find it in a rarefied conditionas it is thrown off by the advancing portion of the body; hence cannotreact on the shot with such advantage and effect as-when the fuses areplaced nearer the front end, where the gases meet the air in acompressed condition as it is divided by the thus immensely increasingthe rotating power of the gas. For the purpose of combining the greatestweight of metal with the best configuration for flight and the admissionof the fuses atthe largest diameter, I

i prefer these shot to bein length twice the minor diameter, the baseend hemispherical, and the front end'parabolical -to one third thelength. ofthe shot, the space between the two curved linesto becylindrical. In the configuration of the interior of this shot I haveconsidered that shape which should give the great est possible -weightofmetal, "which I wish to meet the following requisites: First, that theforward end of the shot shall be of such fornr I as will present theleast" resistance tothe air by throwing it oh at the most acute anglepossible with the line of flight, at the same time to preserve a properweight of metal forward and allow space for the rotative cell; second,that the rear end of the; shot shall present to a scales the projectingcharge such a curve as will insure the greatest amount of force from thegas due to the sectional area of the projectil e,while it will duringflight afford the least possible drag of the air in its rear, (adifficulty with all shot whose bases incline to a plane,) at the sametime btaining a good and properlyshaped bursting-chamber; third, as thedirection of all oblong rotating shot in their flight is due in anessential degree to the parallelism of the longitudinal axisof themissile'with the axisofv the bore of thegnn at the instant ofprojection,-I unite the curve of the base with the curve of the forwardend by the cylindrical portion. around the shot, and on this line markthree or more points equidistantfrom eachother. At each of these pointsI form reces'sesby cutting to a proper depth longitudinallyandin line of'a radius of the shot. I then make a circular or gouge-shaped cnt .toform-a groove on the left side from the surface of the shot at a properdistance from and thence to the bottom of the longitudinal cut. Thegroove should; curve slightly toward the rear of the shot. Intothe faceof the part formed by the longitudinal cut, and at the bottom and centerth ercof, I bore a hole of proper size and depth tangential with theshot and as near the "surface as possible.

lengths when. required for use, previous to For a thirtytwo peunder gunthis tangential hole should be which they are properly charged with fuseor strong rocket composition and rammed as hard as possible. The betterplan will be to have the tubes or fuses cut at an acute angle to presentthe largest surface of the composition possible for igniting.

In use the fuses are pressed into the shot at the battery, when it isplaced in the gun in the usual way.. The discharge ignites the fuses.The

j force of the gas reacting. on the shot causes it to rotate on itsminor axis with rapidity,and, having no friction to retard itsmotion,the rotation is continued to the end of its 'fiight, although thefuse may have burned out at half the distance. These shot I intend to beused without/as well as with the bursting-charge, the bursting-chamberbeing in the rear part, having the elliptical end solid withpreponderat-ing weight of metal, and through the center of which thefuse-hole is made.

I can make use of the ordinary fuse, or of a metallic plug properlyinserted and ignited by a percussion cap or wafer attached to the end ofthe plug. Either of these plans for igniting the charge in the shell maybe applied at the battery at will.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 rep resents a side elevation of ashot, and Fig. 2, a sect-ion of the same through a B.

The letters 0 0 represent the recess and fuse-holc. C shows the same,with the fuse inserted ready for firing; and shows the same with thefuse ignited, showing the lines formed by the escaping gas which theshot rotates.

The composition may be rammed into the shot itself, dispensing with thetubes; but the advantage of the latter will be readily apparent to allpractical men. I

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The use of tangential holes bored from the outer surfaceinto the solidportion of the front end of the shot forreceiving the rotatingcomposition, and the useiof the adjustable tubes or cases ofrotatingcomposition.

. J. B. HYDlrh Witnesses:

.VM. H. VAN Grsson, Josnr GRUNBERRY.

